Happy International Women’s Day

Good morning!

It’s March 8 and the world over, we’re celebrating women — as we rightly should. But not just today. No, not just for one day or month in a year, but throughout it. 

Nevertheless, the significance of International Women’s Day — the history of which can be traced back to the early 20th century — is worth recognising. It serves as a call-to-action for providing women with equal opportunities and highlights the historical and contemporary challenges women face — both at work and elsewhere. And yet, its greatest significance is in the celebration of women from all walks of life and their many achievements, as they continue to defy societal boundaries and expectations.

The past year amidst the pandemic, we saw only too clearly how women — both in the workplace and at home — demonstrated resilience and exceptional leadership in a crisis. So, on International Women’s Day, we are launching a special series called the Women of the Pandemic on HerStory to honour and salute the women who inspired hope amidst the pandemic. As a part of this series, we will hear directly from women about their experiences and learnings from the pandemic, in their own words, in the hope that their stories of resilience and courage will inspire a thousand others.

We’re launching the Women of the Pandemic series with none other than Biocon LimitedMD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, as she chronicles how her experience with COVID-19 strengthened her belief in science.

Watch out for more such personal accounts from other inspiring women in HerStory’s Women of the Pandemic series.

Today, across YourStory and its sister properties - HerStory, SMBStory, SocialStory, and Weekender - we bring you inspiring stories of women who are redefining the future for their gender. 

Some of these stories celebrate the achievements of extraordinary women entrepreneurs who started small, dreamt big, and are now encouraging other women to be a part of the startup ecosystem. Others celebrate the work of women who are on a mission to bring millions of girls back to the classrooms, women leaders in various startups, women in tech, including one of Karnataka’s first woman engineers, and so much more.

Throughout this month, we will bring you more such inspiring stories of women, including one of India's first women butchers. 

For now, do check out YourStory’s complete coverage of International Women’s Day here and write in to us at [email protected] if you have an inspiring story to share.

The Interview

Despite the disruption caused by the coronavirus-induced lockdown, the edtech sector saw massive gains, bringing e-learning from the fringes to the mainstream. HSBC India's Prakash Jaiswal, Gradeup's Shobhit Bhatnagar, Testbook.com's Ashutosh Kumar, Eruditus' Ashwin Damera, and Doubtnut's Tanushree Nagori discuss why 2020 was a pivotal year for online learning. 

Editor’s Pick: International Women’s Day 2021 

For Hardika Shah, Founder of fintech loan marketplace Kinara Capital, optimism in the face of adversity has always been the mantra. She was inspired by her ambitious father and entrepreneurial mother from a very early age, and broke cultural norms from the get-go. On International Women's Day 2021, she talks about making the most of the opportunities, and how she is helping Indian women entrepreneurs fulfil their dreams. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Edtech startup Yoda helps readers grasp the information quickly and easily

While increased digitisation has opened newer avenues of learning, it has also led to shrinking attention spans. To help users learn within a short span of time, social learning platform Yoda App makes use of "infobites" — bite-sized information in which text and images are woven together to fit in one app screen. Read more.

News & Updates

• At YourStory MediaFuture of Work 2021, Milind Borate, Co-founder and CDO, Druva(SaaS unicorn) spoke about how technology adoption surged during 2020. He expects the trend to sustain even after the pandemic.

• Addressing the virtual Future of Work 2021 summit, FlipkartChief Product and Technology (CPTO) Jeyandran Venugopal said the ecommerce giant is making heavy investments in technology to connect with its existing and new customers.

• Abhinav Sinha, Global COO and Chief Product Officer of Oyo, spoke about how fast decision-making helped the company emerge stronger in a crisis. At YourStory's Future of Work 2021, he said that 2021 will see OYO’s resurgence as the company increases its focus on building best-in-class products.

• In a fireside chat at YourStory's Future of Work 2021 event, Gopinath Pullaihgari, Director - Human Resources, Verizon India said the company is on a mission to build an inclusive and empowering culture by sensitising its leaders and workforce. 

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“With nearly 60 million SMBs and 30 percent contribution to GDP, small businesses form the backbone of the Indian economy.”

— Ravish Naresh, CEO, KhataBook

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